A/N: I've always wanted to try and write about when Jack changed his mind about the whole Aaron issue. So here's part 1 of 2 of my slightly different take on it. Set a couple of days after the cab scene in "Eggtown". As always, I hope you like it and remember feedback is very much appreciated. Oh and the title is from "I Promise You" a beautiful song by Judith Owen.
Disclaimer: Yeah... Sadly I still don't own a thing :(
Part I
Jack had his head buried in a file when a soft but urgent knock on his office door pulled him from the case in front of him. He looked up to find one of the nurses from the children's ward standing in the doorway, wearing a vary expression.
"Dr. Shephard, do you have a second?" She greeted him, pausing a moment to make sure she hadn't interrupted anything too important.
"Sure Beth. What can I do for you?" Jack responded with an easy smile, not minding the distraction one bit. He was preparing for a surgery he had scheduled later, but at the moment he was just staring himself blind in all the statistics of the procedure. It was fairly simple and he knew what he was doing.
"Miss Austen is here-" Beth started, wringing her hands together.
Jack felt his heart stop and instantly he feared the worst. He was out of the chair and halfway across his office in a matter of seconds, "Is she alright?"
"Her son was injured. She's down by the waiting area at pediatrics..." Here she stopped again, deliberating on how to continue, "She's asking for you."
Despite everything he felt his heart constrict painfully at the thought of Aaron being hurt, "Do you know what happened?"
"No, I'm sorry."
He hesitated only a second before making his way out of the office intent on finding Kate. Beth trailed slightly behind him and he noticed the look on her face. She wasn't sure it had been a good thing to tell him. Jack sighed, mentally cursing the gossips of St. Sebastian's. They had been rescued more than a year and a half ago and yet the oceanic six were still famous. No one knew exactly what had happened between himself and Kate, but everyone was aware that there was history between them and that for some reason things between them had gone south. The rumor of him being at her trial just a couple of days ago had spread like wildfire.
Jack stopped a second, turning around to face the nurse, "Thanks for letting me know Beth."
She gave a slight nod in response, sending him a relieved smile.
He turned away from her, quickly making his way down the hallway, opting to take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. His heart had started to race and he felt the adrenalin pump through his veins as he bounded down the steps. He wasn't sure how he felt about seeing her again so soon... or Aaron. But he pushed all of that to the back of his mind. His issues didn't matter at the moment. All that mattered was Kate... and making sure Aaron was alright.
Jack found her pacing in the almost empty waiting area. Her arms were crossed against her stomach and he felt his heart break at the sight of her pale face and red rimmed eyes. He approached her slowly, but she didn't seem to notice him at all. He felt uncertain of himself all of a sudden as he remembered the last time they'd seen each other. He had no idea what to expect from her.. or himself for that matter.
After a moment, he cleared his throat, "Kate?"
She turned at the sound of his voice, obviously startled. And he was unable to read the myriad of emotions crossing her face when she recognized him.
"Jack." Her voice trembled slightly and a watery smile graced her lips.
He felt his uncertainty at the situation melt away at the sight of her so broken and it only took a moment for him to close the distance between them. Her face seemed to crumble as he came to stand in front of her and he didn't hesitate in wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close. She grabbed the front of his scrubs in response, her fists bunching the blue fabric as she seemed to collapse into him, resting her forehead against his chest. He held her a little tighter and felt more than heard the sobs wracking through her body. He hated to see her this upset, her tears tugged painfully at him.
He had no idea how long they stood like that, her clinging to him as if he was her lifeline, him rubbing her back in soothing circles and whispering words of comfort in her ear. But eventually she calmed down and Jack felt her take a couple of deep breaths before leaning back slightly. He loosened his hold on her, but couldn't bring himself to let her go completely.
Kate's tight grip on his scrubs loosened and she brought her hands to her face, wiping away her tears as she stepped back from him. His hands fell limply from her elbows and he stuffed them in his pockets, feeling a little awkward. She looked up at him after a moment, her eyes still shining, and he tried to give her a reassuring smile.
"I'm sorry," She whispered, "I know what you said... I just didn't know who else to-"
"It doesn't matter." He interrupted her, eager to put her at ease. She needed him, nothing else mattered to him at that moment. She seemed relieved at his response and sheepishly wiped at his scrubs, trying to dry the spot where her tears had soaked through. Jack chuckled a little at her efforts and closed a hand around hers on his chest, stopping her. Kate looked at him questioningly and he shook his head at her in response, instead leading her by the hand over to a couch in the corner of the room and gestured for her to sit. She complied, sinking down on the couch as if she had been drained of all her energy and he settled beside her, keeping her hand infolded in his.
"What happened?" He finally asked, keeping his voice low and comforting while hiding his own concern for Aaron.
Instant tears sprang to her eyes, but she held them back, "I don't know... We were at the park and Aaron was on the seesaw with another boy, his mom was watching them and I just looked away for a second... and-" Her voice broke and he tightened his hold on her hand, his thumb stroking the back of it..
Kate waited a moment before continuing, looking completely lost, "He fell and... and he landed badly on his arm. He's in surgery now... The doctors said something about a displaced fracture. I don't know what that means?"
Jack felt relieved that it wasn't any more serious than a broken arm, but he could tell from her look that she desperately wanted him to explain and he did his best to reassure her, "That just means it wasn't an even break – they just need to realign the bones again. Don't worry it's a really simple procedure, he'll be out of surgery in no time... I promise."
She nodded meekly, "If I hadn't looked away..."
"Kate, kids fall and hurt themselves all the time-"
"But if I had just-"
"Kate," he gently interrupted her, urging her to look at him instead of the floor, "It's not your fault."
Jack could tell she wasn't completely convinced, but she was listening to him, searching his eyes intently, "He's gonna be okay... Trust me."
She nodded at him and took a deep breath, accepting his words. She removed her hand from his to wipe away her remaining tears and he felt the loss of her warmth immediately. He pulled some tissues from a box on a table beside the couch and handed them to her and Kate rewarded him with a real smile as she dried her cheeks with it.
"Thank you." She told him softly, the vulnerability in her voice tugging at his heart.
She folded up the tissue in one hand and surprised him by returning her other hand to his, lacing their fingers together. She seemed unconscious of her move as she closed her eyes and leaned back, letting her head rest against the wall.
"Anytime." Jack replied with a smile, his voice low and earnest.
Kate didn't ask him to stay, but her vice like grip on his hand convinced him that she wanted him to. So he decided to stay and wait with her, unable to deny her silent request.
